Thursday, 5 May 2016

Delhi ISIS Cell Busted, Planned to Avenge Anti-Muslim Riots

The Delhi Police have arrested three men they say are suspected of
having set up an Islamic State-inspired jihadist group plotting to carry
out bomb strikes to avenge the 2013 riots in Muzaffarnagar, and
anti-Muslim violence elsewhere in the country, police and intelligence
sources have told The Indian Express. Ten other men have been detained for questioning.

Even though the Intelligence Bureau had been monitoring the cell for
over a year, a senior police officer said, the arrests had to be moved
forward on Tuesday night, after alleged cell member Muhammad Sajid
suffered injuries in what investigators believe to have been a
bomb-making experiment gone wrong.

Arvind Deep, the Special Commissioner of Police in charge of the
Delhi Police’s counter-terrorism Special Cell, said an improvised
explosive device had been recovered from the men.

Police sources identified the men as Sajid, a 21-year-old resident of
Delhi’s Bhajanpura area who worked at a local tailor’s shop, his
associate Sameer Ahmad, and Shakir Ansari, a former seminary student
from the Uttar Pradesh town of Deoband.
Bhajanpura residents who spoke to The Indian Express described Sajid
as religious, but said they were surprised by police claims that he was
linked to terrorism. Sajid, one said, dropped out of Class III, and had
started working soon afterwards.

The three men, sources in the investigation said, had met in 2014 at
religious meetings held by Abdul Sami Qasmi — a preacher who has been in
prison since January, 2015, when he was arrested by the NIA in
connection with an investigation into a separate IS-affiliated cell.

In 2015, investigators allege, Sajid phoned a number for the
Jaish-e-Muhammad in Pakistan which was posted online on its website,
Rangonoor. He was then put in contact with a cyber-entity code-named
‘Talha’, with whom there were several Facebook and Telegram conversations on how the men could set up a jihadist cell in India.
Early last year, the police claim, Sajid even sent Talha a scanned
copy of Ansari’s passport, but then dropped plans for him to travel to a
Jaish training camp in Pakistan.

Following discussions between group members, and online conversations
on jihadist fora, the group was then drawn to calls by both the IS and
al-Qaeda to set up independent jihadist groups across the world,
investigators allege. The men are claimed to have downloaded a
bomb-making manual from the al-Qaeda magazine Inspire.
The arrests in Delhi are the latest in a series of arrests of alleged
autonomous jihadist groups. The last series of arrests, involving
several men from across the country, was carried out by the NIA earlier
this year.

Intelligence Bureau officials estimate the IS’s Indian cell, led by
one-time Indian Mujahideen operative Muhammad Shafi Armar, has engaged
more than 700 people in conversation, and raised more than 20 identified
volunteers.
Meanwhile, the Delhi sessions court Wednesday sent the three arrested men to 10-day police custody for interrogation.

The special cell, which had sought 15-day police custody for the
three “suspected Jaish-e-Muhammad operatives”, told Additional Sessions
Judge Reetesh Singh that the agency has recovered an IED from Sajid who,
the agency suspects, heads the module.

The cell told the court that the three men have been booked under
sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and criminal
conspiracy under the IPC. The special cell also told the court that they
have recovered “literature” from Shakir and Sameer.
However, the defence counsel for the three accused, advocate M S
Khan, opposed the plea for 15-day custody on the ground that the IED had
already been recovered, and that further custody of the accused was not
required.

Police took them away in middle of night: Families of men held for questioning

Family members of the men, who were detained for questioning Tuesday
night over an alleged plan to set up an Islamic State-inspired jihadist
group, told The Indian Express they were not involved in any terror
activity.

* Mohsin Khan: Mohsin, 32, lives 50 metres from the
residence of Sajid, who has been arrested. He sells clothes near North
Campus and makes about Rs 250 a day, said his father Saeed Khan. “He
always urged people to follow the right path… How could he have done
something wrong? There must have been some mistake,” said Khan. Mohsin, a
Class V dropout, earlier used to work as a tailor.

* Mohammed Imran: Imran, 24, sells clothes and
bangles along with his father Mohammed Iqbaal, said his family members.
Police came looking for him Tuesday midnight, said his family members.
“They were in plainclothes and took him away. They said Imran had
committed theft and he will be released later,” said his brother
Mohammad Akhlaq.

* Sakhawat Ali: Ali, 32, works as a manager in a
company which manufactures commercial vehicles, said his family members.
According to Ali’s aunt, five policemen knocked on their doors Tuesday
night. “Ali was asked to get dressed and take his mobile phone with him.
The policemen did not give us any reason…,” she said.

* Imran Saifi: Saifi, 32, stayed a few metres from
Sajid’s house. His family members said he worked with an automobile
company and was taken away by police Tuesday night.

* Mohammad Tahir: A resident of Loni in Ghaziabad,
Tahir used to work at a printing press in Chand Bagh. His wife said, “At
4 am, some policemen knocked on our door. When my husband opened the
door, they took him and my brother-in-law (Mohammad Muzahir) with them.
They asked me to go back to sleep and not raise an alarm. After
repeated
requests, they gave a Lodhi Colony address and a landline number.”

* Mohammad Muzahir: Muzahir, 24, is Tahir’s younger
brother and the imam of a local mosque. “He teaches young children in
the madrasa. Our entire family, including my father, have devoted their
lives to teaching. How can they be accused of being terrorists,” said
his sister.

* Asif Khan: Khan, who has two young daughters, sold
clothes, said his family members. “My son was sleeping when police came
for him. They did not even let him to take his slippers,” said his
mother.

* Imran: Imran, 21, lives in Kabirnagar. The Indian Express was not able to speak to his family members.

Investigations following the arrest of three men suspected of having set
up an Islamic State-inspired jihadist group plotting to carry out bomb
strikes have revealed they were planning to visit Pakistan, said sources
Thursday. They had been invited by the their handlers to meet them
before executing a Pathankot-like attack in India, the sources added.

Sources in the Special Cell said they have conversation records of
WhatsApp and social media between the main suspect, Muhammad Sajid, and
Jaish-e-Muhammad handlers in Pakistan.

He was in contact with a cyber entity code named ‘Talha’, who had instructed him to come to Pakistan, said sources.

Since Shakir Ansari, another suspect held in the case, already had a
passport, Sajid asked him to go first, said sources. Sajid met Ansari
two years ago when the latter was working in a shoe showroom in south
Delhi, the sources added. Police are analysing call records of the three
and data from a pen drive is being extracted, said a source. Police
have also arrested Sameer, a Class VIII dropout, in the case.

Following the arrest of three men, who are suspected of setting up an
Islamic State-inspired jihadist group to carry out bomb strikes in the
capital, and the detention of 10 others, sources said the Delhi Police
is planning to ask an NGO to rehabilitate the youth and de-radicalise
them.

Sources said during questioning, the youths claimed they were highly
motivated towards ‘jihad’ and ‘were ready to do anything for it’. Police
also claimed to have recovered study material, including books written
in Urdu, on “jihadi ideology” from the home of the detained youth.

Sources added that four men told police they were “sad” about the
“change in perception” of people towards their religion. Due to their
beards, they claimed they were refused jobs. Sources said they got
involved in the group soon after meeting the alleged mastermind of the
group, Mohammad Sajid.

Meanwhile, sources added a few more names have surfaced during
questioning. Sajid was in regular touch with the youth via WhatsApp and Facebook and police have recovered their conversations, said a source.

The arrests took place on the intervening night of Tuesday and
Wednesday from Delhi’s Gokalpuri, and Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad and
Saharanpur areas.

Days after Delhi police ‘bust Jihadist cell’ 4 of 10 detained released due to lack of evidence

Four of the 10 persons detained for their alleged links with an
“Islamic State-inspired jihadist cell”, which Delhi Police claimed to
have busted earlier this week, were released Saturday after being
questioned for over 72 hours. The four, including a 17-year-old boy, were released after police failed to get concrete evidence against them, said sources.

Late on Tuesday, police had picked up 13 men from their homes in east
Delhi’s Chand Bagh area and Loni in Ghaziabad, and arrested three of
them — Sajid, Sameer and Shakir. In an official statement after the
arrests, Delhi Police had said, “suspects/ probable sympathisers of the
terrorist group have been rounded up and are being questioned”.

A police officer said Saturday, “Of the four men, three are residents
of Chand Bagh locality while the fourth hails from Ghaziabad’s Loni
area. They were detained for their alleged ideological leaning towards
Jaish-e-Mohammad”.

Special Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, Arvind Deep said during
questioning, the men had revealed that they were angry with the system,
which made them vulnerable targets for terror groups looking for new
recruits.

“The four men have been asked to visit a psychologist regularly. He will provide us with a report on their progress,” he said.

Delhi Police have also approached the Indian Computer Emergency
Response Team (CERT-In), the government nodal agency that deals with
cyber security threats. Police have sought its help in decoding
encrypted messages and online conversations between the suspects.

Police asked if I knew anything about a bomb, says 17-year-old

The 17-year-old boy, who was among the four persons released
Saturday, told The Indian Express that police had asked him repeatedly
if he had any connection with prime accused Sajid.

“In the last few days, many people asked me the same question…
whether I have any connection with Sajid and if I knew anything about a
bomb… I told them I knew nothing… I knew Sajid as we offered prayers
together in the same mosque,” he said.

On the three days he spent in detention, the minor said, “Police
never hit me or beat me up… they gave me food and tea regularly. They
told me that I am like their son and I should not be afraid.”

A member of his family said, “We have not been able to eat anything for the last three day, since he was taken away by police.”

He added that families of the 10 men had visited the Special Cell’s
Lodhi Colony office everyday since they were detained. “We would go
there together and stand outside the office for 5-6 hours, waiting for
some information on them,” he said.
However, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, P S Kushwah
claimed all the men had been released “We have released all those who
were called for questioning…. a few of them are being de-radicalised,”
he said.

Delhi Police Special Cell has decided to open a ‘social media
monitoring cell’, which would not be ‘intrusive’ but keep tabs on
sensitive and provocative content to check any negative fallout. The decision comes close on the heels of an alleged Islamic
State-inspired jihadist cell being busted and the arrest of three
persons. The three persons arrested are suspected to have ideological
leanings towards the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Arvind Deep said, “The
idea of a making a new unit has been approved by the Delhi Police
Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma. Our officers will first track down youths
who are radicalised through social media and are in the early stages,
then they will first start monitoring the activities of these persons
and will provide counselling to them.”

“The cell will have counselling facilities We are in touch with
several counsellors and cyber experts. Once tracked, the youths will be
counselled by experts, including clinical psychologists, psychiatrists
and community leaders, in the right way and within the right time,” he
added.

According to another senior police officer, “Delhi Police have
observed that most of the people were radicalised in the name of
religion and their handlers approached them with the help of social
networking sites.”

This is not a first attempt by Delhi Police to try and set up a cell
to monitor social media content. After communal tension engulfed
Muzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh, Delhi Police were in talks with
social media monitoring companies, said sources. Bengaluru and Mumbai
Police have dedicated centres to analyse content of various social media
websites, the sources added.

The Special Cell’s special unit to monitor online content is expected
to start in a month, said a source. “The monitoring wouldn’t be
intrusive and it will monitor openly available content related to the
city,” the source added.